Sheng Peng
Jake McGrew has already had three knee surgeries — but the 21-year-old has zero regrets.
“I wouldn’t change what has happened to me,” the 2017 San Jose Sharks sixth-round pick said. “It’s made me the person that I am mentally and physically. Who I am as a person, as a human being now, I don’t think I would’ve been without going through this.”
San Jose Hockey Now caught up with McGrew last week, who tells us how he’s recovering from his October 2019 knee surgery. He then mentions the other team besides Los Angeles that San Jose beat to drafting him in 2017.
The San Jose Sharks prospect also talks about being childhood teammates with Sasha Chmelevski — McGrew reveals something hilarious about Chmelevski. Finally, we learn about McGrew’s many tattoos, and his older brother, the opera singer.
Sheng Peng: I’ve seen a lot of videos on Instagram with you training with Luis Brito — how’s rehab going?
Jake McGrew: So actually, I was up in Spokane for two months with him, and then I came back to California.
I’m training with Chris Phillips. He’s in Lake Forest, it’s called Compete Sports Performance & Rehab. That’s who I started working with after my first injury when I was 17. He’s a gem. So’s Luis.
Going into it, I looked at this summer not as a rehab summer. I looked at it as just another summer to get ready for the season.
Obviously, it’s unfortunate times right now, what every hockey player and every every human being are going through right now. But I took it as, okay, I get the extra time to fully heal and fully get back to where I was before I got injured.
I was on the ice two months after surgery, which is kind of crazy, but that’s just how it is. My knee has its good days and bad days, aches and pains, but that’s every hockey player’s body.
SP: Do you feel back to where you were before your last injury or you’re still getting there?
JM: Physically, I’m very close. Obviously, I haven’t played a game in however long, so the timing [is off]. But on the ice, there’s been no problems. I feel great.
There have been no limitations since nine or 10 months ago.
There’s been a lot of people that have had a big part of me getting back healthy. All the trainers — Joe Hurley in Spokane. Everyone in Spokane. Obviously, San Jose, doing the surgery there. Arthur Ting did wonders.
SP: You’ve had three knee surgeries up to this point, major ones in 2016 and 2019 and a clean-up procedure in 2017, obviously not normal for a player your age. Has there been a low moment, a why me moment?
JM: Going through it the first time when I was 17, that was the biggest why me.
I had a great person to talk to with my Dad because he did the same exact thing to his knee 30 years to the day that I [had my first knee injury].
He was going to go to college [on a football scholarship] and that happened. So he decided to get into construction.
My Dad told me most 30-year-olds won’t go through that mentally. I wouldn’t change what has happened to me — it’s made me the person that I am mentally and physically. Who I am as a person, as a human being now, I don’t think I would’ve been without going through this. That’s how I look at it
The first time, I probably had two weeks where I looked at it as why me? This time, I was like nope, I’m going to attack this head on, I’m gonna come out the better for it, like I did the first time.
I’m also very fortunate to have one of my best friends in my corner, Derek Stone, he’s a mental performance coach.
SP: It’s been documented, when you were drafted, that three teams were after you — the San Jose Sharks, LA Kings, and a third team. Was the third team Anaheim?
JM: No, up to the Draft, I only had three serious meetings with Toronto, LA, and San Jose. Anaheim was never really in the picture.
SP: Going back a little further, did you play with Sasha Chmelevski when you guys were kids?
JM: The first team I ever played ice hockey with was with him. I was eight. We played for two or three years together.
SP: What team was that?
JM: The Anaheim Wildcats.
SP: Do you have any good, embarrassing Sasha stories from when you guys were kids?
JM: Oh, I have a couple.
He was a huge fan of Rock Band. They would come over and that guy was probably the worst singer I’ve ever heard in my life. It was awesome.
We’d have some crazy Rock Band times in my house.
SP: So you’re telling me Sasha Chmelevski at 10 years old, his voice should actually be decent, I mean it hasn’t cracked yet…
JM: (laughs)
SP: …even then, he didn’t have it going?
JM: No, no. Definitely not.
SP: So did you guys kind of lose touch when he moved away to play?
JM: Yeah, he moved to Detroit, so we lost contact for a while. We played each other at some tournaments. But once we got drafted by the same team, we got in contact again, picked up where we left off.
We were roommates my first training camp. That was cool.
SP: I assume you didn’t bring Rock Band to training camp?
JM: No…
SP: How cool was that, you guys were little kids, grew up playing together, then were drafted back-to-back in the same draft year by the San Jose Sharks?
JM: I said that to him when we were roommates, “Dude, isn’t this like crazy??”
We grew up playing together, who would’ve thought that we’d drafted by the same team, hopefully playing alongside each other in the future.
It shows how hard we’ve worked for everything we’ve gotten so far.
California hockey is getting bigger, and hopefully, it continues to grow.
SP: I also heard that your older brother is an opera singer who can sing in eight different languages.
JM: Yeah, he’s an opera singer. He also just got his doctorate from Michigan for teaching music.
He definitely got the good genes in the family, my Dad always jokes that he’s going to be pushing all of us around in wheelchairs, he’s the one who’s not going to have a single thing wrong with his body.
SP: What languages can he sing in? Can you even keep track?
JM: German, French…there are so many. I tell him as long as it sounds good, I’ll listen to it. But I don’t know what you’re saying, I don’t know what’s going on.
SP: So what can a hockey player learn from an opera singer?
JM: What I’ve learned is no matter what, if you work as hard as you can — I’ve seen him, he’s been away at school, he’s done whatever it takes to do what he wants to do. That translates into any part of anyone’s life.
That’s the biggest thing I look up to, how hard he works, once you put your mind to things and go after it, you can do whatever you want.
SP: Finally, I know you’re really into tattoos…
JM: The one on my arm is all for my family.
I got three roses, the three roses are for my three siblings. I got two doves for my mom and my dad. We’re a Christian family, so I got a lion, that’s from The Bible.
And I just got another one a week ago, it’s on my thigh. Derek Stone always says, “Don’t lose your inner wolf. Always keep hunting.” So it’s a wolf, and another smaller wolf is howling.
It’s a reminder to always stay hungry, keep pushing forward.
SP: I also noticed that you have a big “99” which I assume is either for Wayne Gretzky or your birth year…
JM: (laughs) It’s for my birth year.
SP: What’s your next tattoo? What’s your overall goal with them?
JM: Well, depends on who you ask. My mom wants me to slow down, I’m on the 21.
I think I’d get some stuff on my chest. I want to have a good bit on my body. But we’ll see how I feel in about three or four years, I’ll probably feel the same.
The next one I want will have to do with the beach. I kind of want a a lighthouse somewhere. That’s just the thought I’ve had.
SP: So last question: You’ve played with the San Jose Sharks in exhibition games. You’re looking around, a lot of these guys have great tats. Whose stood out to you?
JM: Definitely Burns and [Erik] Karlsson. They’ve definitely gone to very good artists.
Karlsson has a deck of cards, close to his hand. That one’s pretty sweet.